Blanket chest - Sketchup 3D model

Blanket chest - photo of finished work

Blanket chest - interior

Blanket chest - box-jointed tray

Blanket chest - photo

I built this blanket chest in early 2011 for Dena, my stepdaughter, in honor of her graduation with a doctorate in evolutionary ecology.

The frame is jatoba (Brazilian cherry), with a box-jointed tray of padauk, and a cedar-lined interior. The finish is clear wiping lacquer. My wife Carolyn did the upholstered panels and seat.

Before construction, I created a Sketchup 3D model, including a simulation of the upholstery fabric Dena selected, and showed it to her. It’s nice to know the recipient likes a gift’s appearance before you undertake a complex project like this!